GAs holding seats in F and pulling pax from Y—is this happening more?
I've had this happen recently: most of the upgrade list clears and I am #1 on the at-gate screens. On the plane, a GA comes down, points to a passenger in Y and tells them to take a seat in F. At least once in the past I've waited in the terminal and been UGed at the last minute (a lowly FO on flights where PMs were in back).
I don't really mind as they are playing by the rules, but it was nice to have this little trick and play, as I called it, upgrade roulette. Today the GA said it was going to a DM in Y (BOS-ATL on a Friday afternoon on a MD80, not too surprising).
Has anyone noticed this getting more common as opposed to just clearing the last seat(s) at boarding and UGing whoever is still waiting to board?
I wonder if it is a policy change. Maybe the hold the seats so they can march that DM up and show how benevolent they are. And I wonder if they'd still do it with a late-running flight or just process at the gate in that case. Good (?) to hear that I'm not the only one, not so good to hear that this loophole is closing. I once sat next to a very angry woman who'd paid F and whos PM husband was sitting in back. She said it was the last time she'd fly DL. Whatever, more F availability for me.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vitira
Good (?) to hear that I'm not the only one, not so good to hear that this loophole is closing.
Why is it not good to hear that the person 1st on the upgrade list is getting upgraded? If they can do this consistently this is far better than the waiting crap.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vitira
Today the GA said it was going to a DM in Y (BOS-ATL on a Friday afternoon on a MD80, not too surprising).
If the GA tries this immediately get a redcoat. Do not let a GA get away with Shena like this. If the Redcoat refuses to support you, get his/her name and send in a TTU to DL. You will receive a decent amount of Skymiles in compensation for the rules violation.
There are endless existing threads on this subject. Do we really need to rehash this yet again !?!? As for "reporting" a GA who pulls up a Diamond in the back ahead of a Silver, I think that's just pathetic. If you want to wait and play roulette, fine, but don't b**ch and complain when the GA does what 99.9% of the fliers expect them to do and pull them up. It's not their fault that they do not know about the super-secret double-probation policy, and I do not think they should be punished due to the fact that years of experience on both DL and NW has led them to believe that the GA will pull them up. Again, a policy which is not openly published anywhere and which the vast majority of fliers are unaware is not in anyway fair or legitimate. I'm sick and tired of the Silver and Gold gamers whining about GA not following this supposed super-sekrit policy.
If the GA tries this immediately get a redcoat. Do not let a GA get away with Shena like this. If the Redcoat refuses to support you, get his/her name and send in a TTU to DL. You will receive a decent amount of Skymiles in compensation for the rules violation.
Can you explain exactly what the rule is and what the violation here was? Thanks
If you want to wait and play roulette, fine, but don't b**ch and complain when the GA does what 99.9% of the fliers expect them to do and pull them up.
I'm not .....ing, I'm just observing that it's happening more often and wondering if there is any unofficial or official policy change on this—maybe even DL or the computers leaving a seat open and then having the GAs move people.
Also, I searched a few times for threads on this and couldn't find it—a pointer would be great if you have it. Maybe I'm a bad Googler (eugooglizer if anyone gets that reference) or something.
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There were a few times this year where I was #1 on the list so I told the GA I am not boarding due to being #1 on the list.
She ask me to board so they can get the flight out in time and if my UG is available she will come for me. All 6 times I was given my new F BP while seated in Y.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vitira
I wonder if it is a policy change.
DL Customer Service offers two replies:
If you are on the Airport Standby List (ASL) and have not been cleared prior to boarding, you are encouraged to board the flight anyway as policy requires that the gate agent notifies you or notifies the flight attendant who is to come back and invite you to the forward cabin. You might notice that there are times when a gate agent is working a flight alone and cannot leave the gate area. In those cases, when a previously boarded Medallion clears the ASL after boarding, the agent must notify that member and offer that customer the available First Class seat. In those cases were time does not permit the gate agent to walk to the main cabin, he or she may notify the flight attendant who would then notify the Medallion member in the coach. Policy requires that the gate agent, not the flight attendant, determine who has received their complimentary upgrade.
--or--
Currently, after boarding the aircraft, our upgrade system recognizes the passenger as checked in to that assigned seat; therefore, it no longer searches for a complimentary upgrade for that individual.
On my last flight, I was #1 wtth 1 seat unclaimed (ATL->PIT on an off time). Waited for all to board and whent to the GA.
She had a pax written down for being pulled up, but she gave it to me anyway. Don't know if I was higher on the real list, or just played the "Shena" card.
Is there any written policy that says a pax who boards absolutely loses their right to an upgrade?
As an FO, I have camped out at the gate. I always inform the GA, and all I ask is that they tell me whether I have a chance. If they say, as they have several times, that there are people who have boarded that have priority over me, I am fine with that.
We all know, if they go on board and get the next person on the u/g list, that this is the right thing to do.
This happened to me - I was lucky and was pushed up from Y into F yesterday.
I say pushed because I was all settled into my seat when someone else showed up with the same seat assignment....
More back story:
I was traveling from a outstation with a coworker who is a FO and I boarded when they called for Group 1 (and later Sky). He was about 10-15 people behind me in the boarding scrum. As I was boarding I noticed two empty seats in F (more on this later).
When I reached my seat I got settled in and as my coworker was passing my seat he told me that they had called my name for a upgrade but since I was not there they had called for someone else.... Well I decided that it was just my bad luck for boarding and made my peace with where I was sitting. I had a short discussion with my seatmate about missing upgrades and let it drop.
About the time the last two or three people were getting on-board someone showed up to my seat and also had my seat assignment!
At that point I quickly realized that they had upgraded me and given my seat to this person. And so to the amazement of my seatmate I grabbed my stuff and let the new guy have the seat. She asked me where I was going and I said I am going up front.
Went to the F cabin attendant and said I believe that I have been upgraded... She looked at me like I was crazy but tracked down a ramper with a radio who verified that I was assigned to the lone empty seat in F. He also said something about "I was a missing passenger who had not been boarded...."
I am still not exactly sure how that happened but I was happy to get my upgrade especially since I did get it after I had boarded
